Product Description

Did you know that celiac disease is:• More common than Type 1 Diabetes
• More common than Rheumatoid Arthritis
• More common than Alzheimer’s Disease
• More common than Autism
• Twice as common as Crohn’s Disease, Cystic Fibrosis and ulcerative Colitis combined

Did you know that the following groups of individuals have increased incidence of Celiac Disease?
• Approximately 1 in 20 individuals with type 1 diabetes will also have celiac disease
• Approximately 5-10% of individuals suffering from anemia will also have celiac disease
• Approximately 10% of European Irish will test positive for celiac disease
• Approximately 1 in 10 relatives of celiac patients will also have celiac disease

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is a genetically determined auto-immune disease caused by gluten intolerance. By this, we mean that the presence of gluten in a Coeliac’s diet causes the body’s immune system to produce antibodies that attack its own tissues, in this case the lining of the small intestine.

Gluten is a protein found mainly in wheat, barley and rye. Although some people with celiac disease may also not be able to tolerate oats.

Villi – tiny finger-like projections that line the gut, become inflamed and then flattened to decrease surface area for absorption of nutrients from food. When the gut lining is damaged in this way, the body cannot absorb all nutrients it needs from food, which leads to a wide range of symptoms, and if left undiagnosed and/or untreated, can lead to serious complications like osteoporosis, and even cancer.

One of the main complications for people with coeliac disease is osteoporosis. This is due to chronic malabsorption of calcium, and the risk is increased by late diagnosis.

Studies have shown that more than 75% of untreated adults with CD suffer from osteopenia or osteoporosis. Secondary lactose intolerance is common in those undiagnosed with CD due to gut inflammation.

The incidence of certain types of cancer is increased among patients with CD. These include non-Hodgkin lymphoma at any site, enteropathy associated T-Cell lymphoma (a rare high-grade T-Cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the small intestine) small intestine adenocarcinoma and oesophageal and oropharyngeal squamous carcinoma. The risk of malignancy is reduced back to normal after 3-5 years of gluten-free diet. Type-1 diabetes occurs in about 5% of CD patients.

Please note:
The manufacturers of the Biocard Celiac Test have advised us that the test is not suitable for children younger than 5 years of age.

FAQs

What are the symptoms of celiac disease?
Symptoms are varied and can easily be confused with other disorders such as wheat intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Typical symptoms can include:

What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Some people with celiac disease also react to oats.

How common is celiac disease?
Around 1 in 100 people have celiac disease. However, four out of five people don’t know they have it and are at increased risk of developing osteoporosis, infertility and cancer.

Are children at risk of inheriting celiac disease?
If you have celiac disease there is an increased risk (1 in 10) that your children will also develop the disease.

How accurate is the Biocard Celiac Test?
In independent trials the Biocard Celiac Test was shown to be highly accurate (96%) when compared with intestinal biopsy and equally reliable to hospital laboratory blood tests. In rare circumstances, some people (2% of the population and 5% of coeliacs) may give a false negative result in laboratory tests as well as the Biocard test due to an IgA antibody deficiency. The test has been proven to be easy to use by lay persons and meets all necessary regulatory requirements including the IVD directive 98/79EC for home use.

What do doctors think of the Biocard Celiac Test?
There are many people who are living with coeliac disease but have not yet been diagnosed. Any way of improving the diagnostic process is a benefit to these individuals and to health care professionals.

While a definite diagnosis of coeliac disease can still only be made following an intestinal biopsy, a simple finger prick blood test which indicates whether the individual is likely to carry the antibodies associated with coeliac disease is very helpful and can help speed up what is currently a timeconsuming diagnostic process.

Anyone with a positive finger prick blood test should see their doctor, and it is very important that in the meantime they do not alter their diet, so as to enable a full diagnosis to be made.